


Saddling Up

by Carrot_Bunny



Series: MakoHaru Festival 2015 [13]
Category: Free!
Genre: Centaur AU, M/M, Magical Creatures AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-02-26
Packaged: 2018-03-15 07:38:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3438998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carrot_Bunny/pseuds/Carrot_Bunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"For someone whose best friend was a centaur though, Haruka didn’t seem to be any good with horses." Written for the Official Makoharu Festival 2015 - it's posted on their Tumblr page now!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saddling Up

“So do you guys have two ribcages?”

Makoto looked up from the apple he was eating. “Huh?”

Haruka picked up a random twig on the ground and started drawing a figure in the dirt. “See, you’re human from the waist up, but your torso is attached to a horse’s shoulders. So you have both a human’s chest and a horse’s chest. Does that mean you have two ribcages?”  
The young centaur was baffled. “Uh… I you put it that way, I guess so?”

“Then do you have two stomachs, and two hearts, and - ”

“Uwah, I’ve never really thought of that before.” Makoto’s head was spinning from the idea of having two set sof internal organs. He looked at the half-eaten apple in his hand and started to wonder whether that bite he’d just taken was going through his human stomach now or his horse stomach. Wait – didn’t horses have four stomachs? Or was that only cows? His brain felt like it was going to explode from trying to comprehend the mystery of his anatomy.

Meanwhile, Haruka was adding details to his drawing. “And how do you sleep? Are you able to lie down on your back? Or if you tuck your legs in like normal horses, how does your upper half rest?”

“Er, we do tuck in our legs and then lean against something, like a wall or a tree, to sleep. Or hay piles – they’re quite comfortable.” Makoto then noticed the drawing Haruka had completed. “Is that – is that me? Wow, you’re really good at drawing Haru-chan.”

“Drop the –chan,” Haruka said immediately. “Of course I can draw you; I spend so much time hanging around you.”

Just as Makoto giggled, they could hear the maidservant’s voice. “Prince Haruka! Where are you? It’s time to go home!”

Makoto looked up at the sky. “Ah, the sun is setting already. I’d better get back too.”

Haruka got to his feet. “Same time here tomorrow?”

“Yeah!” Makoto got up as well, his long legs placing him half a head higher than Haruka. The height difference would increase as they grew older, and the little prince once wondered aloud how he was supposed to talk to Makoto when they were both adults – would he have to stand on a stool? Makoto immediately reassured him he’d gladly bend down so his prince could talk to him without having to constantly look up at him, and besides Haruka would be level with him once he learned how to mount a horse. Then they could ride together at the same pace, instead of Makoto trotting slowly so Haruka could keep up as they did now.

For someone whose best friend was a centaur though, Haruka didn’t seem to be any good with horses, for a week after he was supposed to begin learning how to ride he had still yet to find a horse that didn’t either try to buck him off when he was on it or shy away whenever he approached it. Just when his riding instructor was at his wits’ end, Makoto came forward and offered to let his friend practice mounting on him, at least until a suitable horse was available.

The riding instructor was appalled. “Humans are not supposed to ride centaurs! It is a sign of utmost disrespect to your kinsmen, Makoto!”

“Centaurs allow themselves to be ridden in the interspecies military division though,” Makoto stated. “Besides, Haru’s my friend. I would be honored to help him learn to ride.”

So a saddle was strapped on him, and he trotted up to Haruka ready to begin. However, unlike his previous sessions with horses, this time the blue-eyed prince was reluctant to get on him. “I can’t do this. You’re my best friend, I can’t ride on you!”

“A horse is supposed to be a human’s loyal companion as well,” Makoto reminded him. “If you want to earn a creature’s loyalty, whether human or animal, you must show them you’re deserving of their trust first. Only then will they be willing to comply.” He then stood patiently as Haruka put one foot in the stirrup, then hoisted himself up.

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s fine,” Makoto replied, smiling reassuringly before remembering that Haruka could not see him. “There aren’t any reins for you to use, so you’ll have to hold on to my waist.”

“The human one or the horse one?” Haruka asked in a deadpan voice.

Makoto laughed. “You’ll do fine at riding, Haru-chan.”

“I said, drop the –chan.” Haruka put his arms around Makoto’s bare torso, holding on to his sides. The centaur reared up, “Here we go then!” and they were off, rotting at a leisurely pace.

Haruka shifted around in the saddle until he was in a comfortable position. “This is easy. Can we go faster?”

“Haru, you’re still new to riding. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Do it. Your prince commands it.” Haruka rarely played the royal card, and when he did there was no talking him out of things.

“Okay then, but hang on tight.” After making sure Haruka was hugging his chest (the human one) firmly, Makoto took off at a gallop, slowly gaining speed as they raced towards the horizon.

Once Haruka had gotten over the shock of the acceleration, it was as if he entered a new world. With the wind whistling through his ears and his hair flying behind him, he felt as if he was flying. He looked down and saw their shadows running alongside then, the upper halves of two boys on a horse’s body. A queer sensation came over him; he’d never felt closer to Makoto than he did then. It was almost as if the two had become one being.  _I could get used to this_ , he thought.

They rode back to where they started to find the riding instructor looking as if he was on the verge of a heart attack. “Makoto! What were you  _thinking_ , going that fast?! Prince Haruka could’ve fallen off and gotten seriously injured!”

“I told him to go faster,” Haruka cut in, defending his friend. “I learn fast when I’m on him. From now on, I will ride him until I find a suitable horse. If he doesn’t mind, that is,” he quickly added, glancing at Makoto. The centaur quickly shook his head to show that he didn’t mind at all.

And so, Makoto found himself becoming Haruka’s mount as well as his friend, and the two of them went riding for long distances every day. He also took Haruka to the stables and taught him how to groom a horse, and that they loved oats as a treat, and also that they had to be treated with kindness and understanding. “It’s easy for you,´Haruka told him as he stroked a foal’s mane. “You’re half a horse yourself.”

“You’re almost the same. Your riding instructor says we’re nearly a two-headed centaur by now.” They both burst out laughing as they tried to imagine such a creature.

The next morning, Haruka popped into the stables an hour before he was due to meet Makoto. He walked down the aisle past various horses as they slept or ate breakfast or stared back at him, until he stopped in front of a young sandy-coloured mare that’d just arrived at the royal stables two days ago. He’d groomed her under Makoto’s guidance the day before, and he somehow knew she wouldn’t attack or avoid him. “Here you go.” He opened his palm and offered her oats, and she gladly bent down to nuzzle them before letting him pat her nose. A smile slowly spread across his face, and his arms reached for the saddle hung up on the wall to his left.

Makoto arrived later to see Haruka riding towards him on the mare’s back, holding the reins loosely in one hand. “Your Highness! This… this is amazing!” the riding instructor exclaimed from behind as he approached them.

The young centaur smiled. “I told you you’d do fine at riding.”

Haruka pulled up in front of him and patted the mare’s neck. “She reminds me of you. She has your colour.” He tugged gently on the reins and the mare turned around. “Want to race?”

“That eager to test your skills, huh?” Makoto pawed the ground with his front hooves. “Then let’s go!” and they took off racing across the field, their shadows mingling to form interesting combinations of human and horse.

Haruka’s days of riding on Makoto hadn’t come to an end however, for when they both turned sixteen they joined the interspecies army’s mounted squadron, training to fight with one on the other’s back. They progressed quickly due to their previous experience riding together, yet Haruka couldn’t shake off the feeling that the weapons and battle gear weren’t the only new additions. For one thing, he’d developed a sudden appreciation for Makoto’s back muscles; for another, he’d caught his friend sneaking glances at him when he was swordfighting with a fellow two-legged recruit while the centaurs were on the other side of the field training. There were other small details too: they seemed to unconsciously fall in line with each other whenever walking anywhere, and tended to seek each other’s company most of the time when they weren’t training. Even leaning against Makoto as they sat on the grass eating apples together felt different; more often than not he found himself subconsciously running his fingers along the other’s mane.

Then one evening they came in hot and panting from riding together, having been the last to leave the training arena long after everyone else had gone, and headed to the water pump for a wash. Haruka rinsed his face, and then looked up to see Makoto dousing himself, droplets trickling down his hair and bare chest. It was like the sight set something off in him. “Makoto.”

“Yeah?” Makoto turned around only to be pulled down (as in literally pulled down) into a kiss. Haruka had to stand on tiptoe for their lips to meet, his arms wrapped around Makoto’s neck to hold them together. Despite the awkward position, miraculously, he could feel Makoto kissing him back.

They parted and stared at each other incredulously. Makoto was the first to break the silence. “What… what was that?”

 _Nothing. Everything._ “Whatever you want it to be,” was what Haruka replied finally. His mind was a muddle: did this mean he’d read too much into their interactions? But then why was he kissed back? Or was that just his imagination? He glanced worriedly at Makoto’s face, not sure how the other would react.

To his surprise and relief, Makoto slowly smiled. “That sounds good.” He reached for Haruka’s hand. “Want me to give you a lift back?”

Haruka stared at their joined hands. “Sure.” As he got up on Makoto’s back, he felt as if his heart would burst from the warmth welling up inside him. He adjusted his position on Makoto’s bare back, then hesitantly put his arms around his friend’s torso. “Is this okay?”

The smile Makoto gave him over his shoulder set butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “It’s okay.” As they made their way back underneath the darkening sky, Haruka looked up and saw the first stars of the night emerge.  _Everything is different now._  It was like mounting a horse – you swung your leg up and took a leap of faith, and if you got it right you’d be free to gallop far and wide. He rested his forehead on Makoto’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Partly inspired by hubedihubbe's amazing centaur characters - seriously, there's a whole farm of them.


End file.
